By Alan Burke
MARBLEHEAD — Advocates of the Goldthwait Reservation are preparing a plan to restore a marsh currently inundated with fresh water, bringing it back to its saltwater roots.
Some are bracing for opposition, however, because there may be poison in the cure.
If nothing is done, trustee Geoffrey Lubbock said, the 20 acres near Devereux Beach will become clogged with invasive reeds, driving out small fish and birds, damaging the environment. "It would be a great loss to the town."
The trustees want a wide-ranging program to clean culverts that link the marsh to the bay, to dig deeper trenches designed to swiftly carry away freshwater runoff from the town and to regularly cut down reeds that can grow as high as 12 feet.
Only as a last resort would they spray the reeds with an herbicide or poison.
It's that last possibility that has reservation advocates braced for push-back from some town residents in opposition to spraying. For example, groups rallied in 2007 to try to stop the use of poisons meant to clear weeds from Black Joe's Pond.
It's fresh water coming off houses, streets, schools and businesses that has contributed to the reservation's woes, Lubbock said. Particularly troublesome are the fertilizers washed out of lawns and the oils carried from roads.
At the same time, the avenues that once carried these tainted waters away from the marsh have become clogged and blocked.
As a result, he said, survival gets a lot tougher for small fish that once found shelter in the marsh, protected as they grew because predators are too large to get in. A number of permits will be needed for any of the work, but Lubbock explains that the trustees have been working closely with Northeast Mosquito Control, a state agency, and with the town's Conservation Commission.
Funds would come from private donations — Lubbock gives a rough estimate of the cost at $100,000.
Walter Haug, chairman of the Conservation Commission, is generally sympathetic to the aims of the trustees. "We've been in attendance with them."
He balks slightly at support for spraying. "We're not sure yet. We're keeping in close touch with them. I'll have to reserve a comment until something concrete is proposed. ... In general, we prefer not to (spray)."
Haug believes there's an even chance that spraying an herbicide will be required to restore the marsh, and he cautions the commission could conclude that it is indeed necessary. "We are open to these discussions."
Acknowledging the reeds can look natural, even beautiful, Haug points out they drive out the indigenous plants and provide no sustenance for the fish, nor for birds that until now have used the marsh as a stopping point on their yearly migrations.
Nevertheless, Haug expects resistance from "a number of very respectable and capable people" if spraying is considered. The source of the problem includes the chemicals put on suburban lawns, and one solution might be to make a lush lawn socially unacceptable.
The Goldthwait Reservation was left in trust for the people of the town by Joel Goldthwait in 1948, according to Lubbock. It is administered privately by trustees and also encompasses Devereux Beach and a small recreation area.
Many of the trustees, like Lubbock, live near or have property that borders the marsh.
